Off-Center Bullets?

[TenDriver]

I finally got around to loading some 380 rounds and the results aren't too pretty. Several rounds seated off center. Some cases were sized with a RCBS die, some with a Lee. All were belled, seated and crimped on Lee dies.

Can't figure out why some of the bullets seated off center.

I've reloaded a few thousand 9mm rounds and never had this happen. Any ideas? Looks like most of the goof ups were cases sized in the RCBS die. It sizes the neck pretty tight.

 

[MDof2]

You sure that's a 9mm bullet in a .380 case?

 

[TenDriver]

.355 90gr Hornady XTP.

 

[rg1]

Is the bulge at the base of the bullet only on one side or all the way around? It is difficult to handle the small bullets and get them started straight. The bullet needs to sit straight before entering the seating die and that requires just the right amount of belling on the case mouth. The bulge at the base of the bullets is normal if the bulge goes completely around. That to me is a good thing as it shows good neck tension on the bullet. I do like Hornady's bullet seating die with a sliding alignment sleeve which guides the bullets into the case. Sometimes polishing the bullet seating stem helps the bullet straighten up as it's pushed into the case. Some stems have machine marks that keep the bullet from self aligning. I've used fine sandpaper to polish the concave end of the seating stem. I've also used the bullets I load to push the sandpaper so it matches the bullet tip shape. Some .380 brass I've loaded has thicker neck walls than others and you see the bulge at the base of the bullet again which I think is a good indication that you have a good grip on the bullet. Not an issue if they chamber ok and you'll not notice any accuracy problems with cases having a little more bulge on one side than the other. Best to have the bullets straight with the coke bottle bulge going all the way around the case though.

 

[TenDriver]

Is the bulge at the base of the bullet only on one side or all the way around? It is difficult to handle the small bullets and get them started straight. The bullet needs to sit straight before entering the seating die and that requires just the right amount of belling or the case mouth. The bulge at the base of the bullets is normal if the bulge goes completely around. That to me is a good thing as it shows good neck tension on the bullet. I do like Hornady's bullet seating die with a sliding alignment sleeve which guides the bullets into the case. Sometimes polishing the bullet seating stem helps the bullet straighten up as it's pushed into the case. Some stems have machine marks that keep the bullet from self aligning.

Only on one side.

 

[Bula]

Shell plate not lining up with the seater die?

 

[Reefinmike]

Stupid question, but is that a 9mm case sized in a 380 die? It looks like the case has been sized funny- you can see the case web from the outside. Maybe your sizing die is out of spec and sizing cases too small. What is the diameter of the case body before seating the bullet?

 

[CZ9shooter]

That happens to me sometimes too. Mostly in 380, but sometimes with 9mm. I figure the brass must not be uniform. They shoot fine.

 

[Walkalong]

but is that a 9mm case sized in a 380 die?

Made me wonder too. That is a seriously tight sizer.


Could be a bad piece of brass with a very thin side, or the bullet simply started crooked with a poor seater stem fit, ........

 

[TenDriver]

Shell plate not lining up with the seater die?

Nope. Single stage press that lines up fine. I loaded 44 mag on it right before these 380s with no problem.

Stupid question, but is that a 9mm case sized in a 380 die? It looks like the case has been sized funny- you can see the case web from the outside. Maybe your sizing die is out of spec and sizing cases too small. What is the diameter of the case body before seating the bullet?

380 case. You could be right about the sizing die, it's crazy tight.

Made me wonder too. That is a seriously tight sizer.





Could be a bad piece of brass with a very thin side, or the bullet simply started crooked with a poor seater stem fit, ........

There were a few like this. Could be the sizing die and not belling it enough.

 

[walnut1704]

I had seating problems with a Lee .380 seating die. I switched brands (Hornady) and it went away. But I'll agree the sizing looks...weird.

 

[luzyfuerza]

I received a 9mm sizing die once from Dillon that had a carbide insert sized for 38 super...made for some loose bullets. Dimensional errors do occur. Send your die back to RCBS and have them check or replace it.

 

[Reefinmike]

What are your cases sizing to(outside diameter)? My lee die puts my cases at .370".

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

Shoot em

 

[MDof2]

And if you turn the cartridge 180* it's normal?

 

[LiveLife]

Bulging of case on ONE SIDE could be caused by tilted bullets, out of round bullets, inconsistent case wall thickness, etc.

Since the OP is experiencing one sided bulging on some of the finished rounds, I would rule out issues with sizing die or the expander and look at seating of the bullet, bullets being out of round and case wall variation:

1. To check for tilted bullets, roll the finished rounds with one sided bulge on the bench and if the bullet tips wobble, the bullets are getting tilted during seating. If the bullet tips don't wobble, then something else is causing the bulge on one side of the case (perhaps the bullets are out of round).

2. To check for out of round bullets, measure the bullet diameter at several places around the bullet (you can also pull the bullets with one sided bulge and check). If the rounds with one sided bulge do not wobble and the bullets are not out of round, then as Walkalong posted, I would suspect irregular case wall thickness as the reason for one sided bulging of case wall.

3. To check for irregular case wall thickness, measure the case wall thickness at multiple points around the case mouth of the one sided bulged case.


Lee seating die comes with rounded bullet seating stem and even with 115 gr Winchester FMJ sized .355" with rounded nose, I got tilting of the bullet to produce pronounced bulge on one side of the case when I was rushing to seat the bullet (see comparison pictures below). After noticing the bulge, I confirmed the tilted bullets by rolling the rounds on the bench and they wobbled. I checked the seating stem and it was clean without any gunk build up. When I slowed down and more carefully seated the bullet, the bulging subsided and was more uniform around the case. When I rolled the finished rounds on the bench, the bullet tips wobbled less.

Rounds with tilted bullets showing pronounced bulge on one side of the case that wobbled when rolled

Rounds with less bulge that was more even around the case and wobbled less when rolled

 

[Poper]

I have had a piece of crud on the seating stem seat bullets less than straight in the case. It doesn't take very much.

 

[snuffy]

Is the bulge at the base of the bullet only on one side or all the way around? It is difficult to handle the small bullets and get them started straight. The bullet needs to sit straight before entering the seating die and that requires just the right amount of belling on the case mouth.

You can fool some to believe that how precisely you place a bullet on top of a case going into a seating die makes any difference on how straight it gets seated. Us hUmans aren't capable of much precision with our fingers. Seating dies are made to straighten bullets as they are pushed in by the properly belled cases. Something else is going wrong when they are seated crooked.

I agree that the sizer die is too tight, OR the expander in the EXPANDER is not adjusted low enough to bell properly. Possibly BOTH!

 

[LiveLife]

TenDriver, roll the rounds with one sided bulge on the bench and see if the bullet tips wobble to rule out tilted bullets.

We can go from there (see my previous post).

 

[CZ9shooter]

You can fool some to believe that how precisely you place a bullet on top of a case going into a seating die makes any difference on how straight it gets seated. Us hUmans aren't capable of much precision with our fingers. Seating dies are made to straighten bullets as they are pushed in by the properly belled cases. Something else is going wrong when they are seated crooked.

I agree. I have intentionally tested this. Even my lowly Lee dies will seat all but the most severly tilted bullets nice and even. If the tip of the bullet makes it into the die, it seats.

 

[Robert101]

I tend to think this is a case of too little expander on the case mouth. I would try to expand a little deeper and see if the problem is diminished.

 

[TenDriver]

Some of the bullets are tilted a bit. They're headed for the pull down pile and will be recycled.

I bell case mouths very little when loading anything. I'm about 90% that's the cause of my issue here and it'll fix itself on the next batch. Thanks for all the input.

 

[mstreddy]

TenDriver, which brand were the cases with the bulges?
I found, in my case, no pun intended, that when loading 380 using a bullet feed die, which necessitated more flare, that some cases - those with a step inside were very prone to bulging.
I've begun culling those and giving them to a buddy. The brands are various, Some Federals, some Blazer, and a couple others.
So, check the headstamps and see if there is a pattern.

 

[jeeptim]

How about the a 9mm shell holder while loading 380 would work most of the time but some cases my tilt or not be fully seated in the holder. Thats my two cents .

 

[TenDriver]

TenDriver, which brand were the cases with the bulges?
I found, in my case, no pun intended, that when loading 380 using a bullet feed die, which necessitated more flare, that some cases - those with a step inside were very prone to bulging.
I've begun culling those and giving them to a buddy. The brands are various, Some Federals, some Blazer, and a couple others.
So, check the headstamps and see if there is a pattern.

They're mixed head stamp. Entirely possible.

Shellholder was correct, Lee #4.

Pretty sure this was operator error by not belling the cases enough. I bell very, very little as a carryover from loading 44 mag and trying to extend case life as much as possible.

I'm headed to work tomorrow which means 7 days away from home. Should have another box of bullets waiting on me when I get back. We'll see what happens on round two.